The appearance of a gigantic hole in the Atacama desert worries the Chilean authorities. The crater is about 25 meters in diameter and emerged in a mining area in the Tierra Amarilla region, about 665 kilometers north of Santiago. A team from the National Geology and Mines Service (Sernageomin) is investigating the sinkhole to determine the cause of the phenomenon.

>>>Follow GCMAIS on Google News<<

Giant hole in a populated area

The hole, approximately 64 meters deep, is located on land where there is a copper mine operated by a Canadian company. “We ask that it be possible to clarify the cause of this event, what are the reasons, if the collapse is a product of the mining activity below or if it is of another nature”, has said Cristobal Zúñiga, mayor of the Tierra Amarilla region. He further warned that the crater is still active and continues to grow. The community is worried, mainly because the giant hole is near a populated area and a family health center.

“We will go to the extreme as a municipality to protect our municipality and put an end once and for all to these abuses and the excessive contamination of these mining companies,” Zúñiga said.

According to the secretariat of the ministerial region of mines of the Atacama region (Seremi), no one was affected by the appearance of the hole. To ensure the safety of people, Sernageomin determined the closure of access to the mine. The authorities also indicated that they were continuing to assess the situation and would issue further recommendations as the situation developed.

Learn more | UFC offers two permanent teaching positions in Fortaleza

>>>Follow GCMAIS on YouTube<<